The thing I can’t cope with is rushing on.
Such as: you fall asleep, then you wake up,
you fall in love, and then start hating them.
When guests are going to come, you stand around
in the shop not knowing what to do,
hoping to turn into a partygiver;
once they have left, the furniture needs to
be pushed back where it goes when you’re alone.
That’s when the going’s tough. But staying put,
that’s great! I’m a dab hand at being asleep
and being awake can give me lots of fun.
I’m happy when whole crowds come on a visit,
when someone loves me, and when no-one does.
But rushing from one state of things into
another state – that really puts me out.
I’d like to stay put till the end of time:
when I’m awake, to watch attentively
or, when I’m sleeping, dig a deeper pit;
dissolve the powdered soups of loneliness
or else sort through the mess my partner leaves.
What hurts is rushing. Slipping through the narrow
orifice of change leaves bruises later.